Electronic Cigarettes

After careful consideration, we have decided not to allow customers or staff to smoke e-cigarettes on our trains or at stations or train depots. Here’s why:

Their use may unsettle other passengers and cause people to think that smoking real cigarettes is allowed.

The British Medical Association (BMA) believes that e-cigarettes should be included in the ban on smoking in public places.

The BMA says there is a lack of rigorous, peer-reviewed studies to support the use of e-cigarettes as a safe and effective nicotine-replacement therapy.

It also says these devices may undermine efforts to prevent or stop smoking by making cigarette use seem normal in public and at work.

In June 2013 the Government announced that it will introduce legislation that forces these products to be licensed in response to scientific and market research into their safety and quality.

The Medicines and Healthcare Regulations Authority (MHRA) says that in the meantime people should use licensed nicotine replacement products – gums, patches, mouth sprays etc – to reduce the harms of smoking.

If, in future, new information comes to light about the efficacy and health implications of e-cigarettes we will be happy to review this arrangement.